


I Don't Need Those Words To Say What I Mean

by justpastsaturn



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: M/M, Minor Injuries, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justpastsaturn/pseuds/justpastsaturn
Summary: After Arthur's injured, Leon takes to nursing him back to health, but isn't prepared for becoming Arthur's assistant when he's unable to work from his injuries.Fighting with paperwork is one thing, but fighting their feelings proves to be harder.
Relationships: Arthur/Leon (Rune Factory)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	I Don't Need Those Words To Say What I Mean

When Lest brought Arthur into the clinic on his back, Leon forgot what he’d come in to bother Dolce about immediately. His heart sank, his feet moving before he could even process what was going on. Lest yelled for Jones, but Leon was there first, helping Lest place Arthur gently on the bed. 

Arthur’s face was drawn in pain, his arm over his chest, both stained in blood. He was breathing, but it was ragged from pain. Time seemed to stop. Leon reached forward, cupping Arthur’s cheek in his hand. He opened his eyes just slightly, and they locked stares. Leon wanted to tell him it was okay. Nothing was going to happen to him. But before he could speak, Nancy placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the bed. 

“We’ll take care of him,” she said, shooing him out of the room and into the main clinic area. “I promise.”

Leon let himself be led out, meeting Dolce and Lest back in the main room. He took in a shuddered breath. “What happened?”

“He was helping me check out that dragon den out in the forest,” Lest said. “I thought we got all of them but…”

Leon shook his head. The dragons had popped up a few weeks ago and were causing problems with tourism through Selphia, as people were having trouble traversing the forest without almost getting burnt to a crisp.

“Of course, he’d come with you,” Leon mumbled. “It was hurting business.”

There was a long tense moment while they waited, Leon pacing the floor like a caged tiger. Dolce got a chair for Lest and had him sit while they waited, checking on the few scratches their prince had acquired. 

Lest looked hard at the ground as she treated him. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Dolce asked. 

“I should have been watching him. I should have protected him.”

Leon bit back the urge to tell him he should have. “It’s not your fault.”

“I—”

“It’s not your fault,” Leon said again. “And if you try to act like it is, I’ll curse you for five generations.”

Lest looked up at him and they met eyes. He nodded. “Okay.”

Leon nodded back. He turned and resumed his pacing. His stomach was in knots. Was Arthur okay? He had to be. Leon couldn’t take it if he wasn’t. Over the last year, Arthur had become his best friend in Selphia. He didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have him to bother during the day. Didn’t know what he’d do with the feelings he still couldn’t speak.

The door opened and Nancy and Jones came out, looking relieved. Before either had a chance to speak, Leon pushed past them into the room, coming up to Arthur’s bedside. 

“It was a deep cut,” he heard Nancy tell Lest as he kneeled beside Arthur. “Needed stitches and we gave him something for the pain, but he’ll be alright in a couple weeks.”

Leon brushed Arthur’s bangs from his forehead, breathing out a sigh of relief. Arthur took in a sharp breath, waking, and opened his eyes. 

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey bowl-cut, I heard you couldn’t even take on a dragon,” Leon teased, trying for his usual easy-going smile. 

“It was a big dragon,” Arthur said, his voice thick under whatever medicine they’d given him. “And it’s not a bowl-cut.”

“Whatever you say,” Leon laughed. Arthur smiled up at him, closing his eyes again. Leon’s smile dropped once Arthur’s eyes were off him. He took in a deep breath.

Arthur was okay. He was hurt, but he was okay.

“Were you worried?” Arthur asked, his eyes still closed under the weight of the medication. 

Leon considered brushing it off. Telling him he was never worried. But he didn’t. He brushed aside Arthur’s bangs again. “Yeah, you had me there for a second.”

“All part of my plan,” Arthur yawned. “This is all an elaborate prank.”

Leon glanced down at his bandaged arm. “I admire your dedication.”

“Only the best for you.”

Arthur’s voice trailed off at the end, falling back under the hold of the medicine. Leon closed his eyes and took another few steadying breaths.

He stayed there much of the night, until Nancy finally forced him to go home as the sun dipped below the horizon. As he laid in bed that night, he tried to rid himself of the image of Arthur, bloody, being brought through the door. 

He didn’t sleep much that night.

Arthur was only in the clinic overnight before Nancy and Jones said he could go home. They provided him with specific orders not to work, to allow himself to heal. Leon heard all of this when he came to check on his friend the next day and rolled his eyes.

“You really think you’re going to be able to stop him from working?” he asked Nancy as Jones went over with Arthur how to change his dressings. 

Nancy smiled. “No. I was hoping you could maybe enforce that for us.”

“Me?” Leon asked, his eyebrow raised. “You think I can force Arthur to do anything?”

“You’re his friend. He listens to you.”

“Anyone who knows anything about me knows you should never listen to what I say,” Leon sighed. “But okay. I’ll give it my best.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Leon nodded, and wandered back into the other room, leaning on the doorframe, fanning himself despite the cool air of fall drafting through the window. The day itself was sunny, barely a cloud in the sky, but the air bit at his nose. Regardless, he needed something to do with his hands.

Arthur was looking greener today, less relaxed—though Leon was sure it was the lack of the pain medicine. He nodded along to Jones' words, muttering acknowledgements as he spoke. When finally Jones was done, he stood and left Arthur and Leon to themselves. 

Leon waggled his eyebrows. “You’re gonna have one cool scar.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be impressing all the ladies,” Arthur murmured, looking down at his arm in the sling. He went to stand, but stumbled. Leon was at his side in a flash, steadying him with a hand at his elbow. Arthur turned to thank him and they met eyes for a moment, something passing between them that Leon would later disregard as his imagination.

“Thank you,” Arthur said.

Leon swallowed, hard. “Of course.”

Leon helped him out the room and through the clinic. They met the cool air as they made their way out through the road. Arthur leaned heavily on Leon as they walked, claiming to be dizzy from the blood loss. Leon didn’t argue with him. He was warm against his side, sending Leon’s heart fluttering. 

It wasn’t like he’d planned on falling for his best friend. It just sort of happened. He’d gotten too comfortable in Arthur’s presence. Arthur always responded to his teasing with a sharp joke, upping the ante and Leon fell into the trap of searching for his laughter in the words he chose, in looking for Arthur in days when his past felt too heavy to bear. He was in too deep now to get out without getting hurt. 

He tried not to think about it.

It was easier when Arthur wasn’t right next to him.

The stairs were the hardest part to traverse, but eventually they made their way back to Porcoline’s restaurant. They entered on Arthur’s side of the building, and Leon groaned.

“Why are there so many stairs in this town?” he asked, looking up the flight of stairs just past Arthur’s desk.

Arthur chuckled, weakly. “Specifically to spite us, I’m beginning to believe.”

Leon took in a deep breath and shifted his hand up on Arthur’s middle. “Alright, up we go.”

With frequent stops and a lot of cursing later, they finally made their way to Arthur’s room. Leon helped him into bed, taking off his shoes and pulling the blanket over him once he’d laid down. He took a seat beside the bed.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth,” he wheezed. 

Arthur just laughed. “And yet here you are.”

“Here I am indeed,” Leon mumbled under his breath. If Arthur heard, he didn’t say. They stayed in companionable silence for a while, both of them trying to catch their breath. After a moment, Leon dug out the medicine Nancy had given him, and measured out a spoonful before offering it to Arthur.

“Here,” he said. “Nancy said once in the morning and once at night, and it’ll help with the pain.”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, a sheen of sweat covering his brow. “It’s not the stuff they gave me yesterday, is it?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Arthur shook his head. “I need to be more clear-headed. How am I supposed to work if I’m loopy on medicine?”

Leon sighed. “You’re not working. You’re injured. Take the medicine.”

“But—”

“At the very least,” Leon continued, “you’re not working anymore today. Take the medicine.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Alright, Doctor Leon.”

“You know me,” Leon said, tipping the medicine into Arthur’s mouth. “I’m always here to help.”

Arthur made a face as the medicine went down, but didn’t argue any further. As the medicine kicked in, he sunk deeper into his covers, flinching only once as the motion pulled at his stitches. 

After a few minutes, Leon assumed he’d fallen asleep and he stood, looking to the clock. It was only midday and he figured it was as good a time as any to take a nap after the night he’d had. On soft feet, he tried to sneak out of the room.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Arthur slurred. 

Leon turned back to him. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Stay.”

The single word caught something in Leon’s chest. He swallowed hard and took his place back in the chair.

“Okay.”


End file.
